Betty

I have this friend, her name is Betty. We met about a year and a half ago at Homestead Nursing Home. By all accounts, she is quite offensive. She's always complaining about the food or nurses and I'm pretty sure she thinks the name of the home is, "This damn place." But I like her.

I visit her once a week. Every Tuesday at around 3:30. Every week she tells me she didn't expect me. The routine is usually that I sit down with her in the sun room and she rants and raves for a while until I tell her to quit gossiping. Then she might tell me a story from her past or ask me why I'm still not married.

A couple weeks ago I went to see her and couldn't find her, not in the sun room or her room, not taking a smoke break... Finally a nurse told me she was in the hospital. I visited the hospital a couple times but couldn't catch her awake.

I found out she had a stroke.

I went back to visit her and she could not speak. I could tell she wanted to because she would move her mouth but words wouldn't come out. I visited her with a couple friends.

Last day of finals I visited her again by myself. I greeted her and just began to talk about myself. After a few minutes I got tired of this so I just sat and stared at her for a while. I'm not comfortable with silence. I'm used to Betty filling this silence. I wanted to fill her time with joy and purpose. My petty stories didn't seem to be cutting it. I know old people like Christmas carols so I decided I would sing to her. I asked if she would like me to sing and she just stared at me. I told her to pretend to sleep if she didn't like it.

So I started singing. Just me. A few nurses were joking in the hall and they stopped. I prayed that their silence was a coincedence and that they couldn't hear me trying my best to sound pleasing to Betty's ears.

The physical trainer came in and was really sweet to Betty. She seemed a lot more comfortable with Betty's state. The trainer moved her legs around and tried to get her to move on her own a bit. I tried to talk her through it. I knew at this point she would normally be complaining and rolling her eyes. I told her I knew she was being funny right now and I miss her jokes.

Seeing Betty so helpless made me really think about how short life is and how our bodies just fall apart on us. I hope I can learn how to show her love more in this time. I feel helpless too.

Violence

1 in 3 women at UK are victims of violence.

Yet I am overwhelmed with optimism and hope for the safety of women on this campus. This semester I have come in contact with a group of people who before were to me just another organization at UK. Mission statements and goals abound in a university setting but I have finally found something different. The team at UK's Violence Intervention and Prevention Center recognizes the problem of violence and believes it can be reduced.

It's ridiculous. Perhaps you are so accustomed to believing that change can't happen, this doesn't mean anything to you. Let me reiterate. They speak and act as though what they do is going to change the injustice around them.

The 1 in 3 statistic is the same nation-wide. That doesn't keep them from seeking to change it on UK's campus. This just gets me excited. I have a research paper due and a mid-term tomorrow but I just can't stop thinking about this movement.

http://www.uky.edu/StudentAffairs/VIPCenter/au_center.html

The website is very informative if you are interested in learning more.

UK BCM

We had our leadership retreat last week and our first event, Midnight Pancakes, last night for BCM. I am ecstatic. My vision for the BCM is that we would experience and share the gospel.

Community is Here

This summer I learned a lot. This video is something our team put together to highlight what we learned.

The Hole

This is in a community in Santiago, DR. It is built around this trash dump that is in and around the river. I was given the opportunity to work on the quite needed water purification system here. I also got a chance to explore a little on the other side of the river via this bridge,


I spoke with several people around the area that gave me some insight into the community and I also got a chance to talk with a pastor across the river. It was unbelievable to see the filth the people live in. You could also see where complete houses had fallen into the river. The man I am speaking to in the next picture had two or three family members lose houses to this foundational problem.Our last day we spent several hours teaching adults and kids health education. This is an awesome opportunity because a little information and clean water can prevent parasites and the like. I was in a skit showing the harmful effects of unclean water. The people in the picture represent germs from dirty water(like from the river).

What is Poverty?

In Heina Abajo many kids were without clothes. Most of them had a least underwear but shoes were rare. Several of the younger kids had pooched out stomachs and belly buttons as a result of probably parasites or malnutrition. The kids loved having their picture taken...The kids were crazy. They loved it when we sang english songs like, Singing in the Rain with them. They would try to speak spanish to us and couldn't understand why we always responded with, "No se"(I don't know). They didn't seem to know they were in poverty. They loved life just like kids in the US. They had fun with what they had and loved to be held and smiled at.

Brett Dennen says in one of his songs, "In a world of suffering, why should I be so blessed." Even though the people in this community were not living as if they needed more, it's difficult to understand why or how I have so much more than them.

First few days of the DR

Currently I'm sitting in an air conditioned restaurant enjoying some sweet tea and quiet. This is quite the contrast from my 11 days in the heat of the Dominican Republic. There was no air conditioning and no quiet while in a poor community giving out free eye exams and glasses, doing health clinics, playing with children and installing a water purifier.

My first two days were spent being the organizer/bouncer of the vision clinic in a community called Heina Abajo. I had a chance to speak a lot of spanish while in the DR but during these times my comprehension was at an all time low. I must admit that at times my frustration got the best of me. Later in day two I realized that no one could understand me if I spoke english so when anger began to rise I would just "express myself" in english. Many of the older women were very sympathetic to my stress and when I began "expressing myself" they would pray for me. No joke, they would just start praying in spanish. It was an interesting contrast.

Day three I got dehydrated and barfed. That's pretty much all I did. But I saw some beautiful qualtities of care that the Dominican people have. My helpers from the past two days, sat with me, held back my hair and took care of me. There were several others that cared for me by giving me water, gatorade or offering to take me to the hospital. I hardly knew these people and they truly cared for me(despite my grossness).

I'm going to split up the trip into a few posts. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Once again departing from the States

9pm I'm about to go to bed. Breakfast is at 3:45am. This time tomorrow I should be in the Dominican Republic. I'm excited and honestly, nervous. We've been warned that we will sweat continually, we will get sick and we will experience poverty in a new way. I feel unprepared.

Thus far the summer has taught me a lot. I've studied the bible more in depth than possibly ever before and it has really been amazing. The words jump out at me as I read or hear teachers speak of the truth of the scripture. Passages of the bible that once gave me trouble are now speaking truth into my life and pointing me towards my need for a savior and the hope I have in Jesus.

I believe the Lord will teach me much in the coming days. Please pray for the safety of our team and that I would be willing to be used by God in bold ways. Thank you for your prayers.

The Great Baptist Experience

I am now in Louisville, KY. That's Loo-uh-vull. Day 4.

My low expectations for this summer have of course been shattered. Thus far the people, the program and the food have been more than wonderful. My favorite has been learning about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The scripture is really challenging and teaching me. I've thought a lot recently about church and what seems to be missing. I'm discontent with a simple belief in the bible that doesn't lead to actually following Jesus. I'm learning that Jesus said to almost every person he met, "Follow me."

I'm looking forward to seeing more of the city and hopefully capturing some Loo-uh-vull culture.

Father-Daughter Road Trip

Yep that's right. Last Sunday my dad and I hopped in the car and hit the open road. Our agenda was to visit a few seminaries, a BCM and a good friend. It was a fantastic trip, on the last stretch back home I mentioned to my dad that I didn't feel like we had arrived yet where we were going. It was too quick! I'll give you the highlights:

First Stop: Fort Worth, Texas
We stopped to visit the seminary he went to. The best part was him showing me an area downtown called the Water Gardens. There were all these cool fountains and a lot of open space. He used to spend time with homeless men in this area and have worship services.

Second Stop: Waco, Texas
Truett Seminary brought us here. The tour started at Starbucks where my guide bought me a drink and sat down and said, "Tell me about yourself." This conversation, like all that I have these days, ended up with me going on and on about the gospel and my excitement about being known and loved by God. It was so great to be given the opportunity to be heard and known.

Third Stop: College Station, Texas
The first sign of being in the home of the Aggies was a huge barn that had, "Gig 'em Aggies. Whoop. Whoop." painted on it's side. Dad and I laughed about this for a while and were later informed that "whoop" is more than a word, it's a lifestyle. (I have no desire to attempt at explaining this concept further) I was reunited with my friend Coach(Becca) and got to meet some of her friends.
The big event here was going to a bar and singing karaoke in front of around 200 Texans. I was so nervous that when I walked on stage my southern accent pushed it's way out as I said, "Hi I'm Peggy Ray and I've never sang karaoke before. This song goes out to all of you who are still in love. Don't give up hope!" Then I proceeded to sing from the depths of my soul the song Total Eclipse of the Heart. If you do not know this song, immediately go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=840B27zYfOk It was one of my more proud moments. The rest of my time in Aggieland was focused on bonding with Coach and her friends who were surprisingly about as weird as her.

Fourth Stop: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
I've heard a lot about BR from my friends Salsa and Grapevine. *These ridiculous names are from a summer camp called SAMBICA. It has brought me some of my best friends.* I got a hold of the director of LSU's BCM and stopped by to chat. He was a networker. I just about cried I was so excited to hear his ideas and get the connections he had for me. Random fact about me: I love networking. It's my life. That includes meeting strangers on the bus and getting their email. I've considered signing up for e-harmony just to take advantage of the network... I suppose facebook is sufficient.

Fifth Stop: New Orleans, Louisiana
We went to a great seafood place for dinner. Our waiter's name was Shane. Dad likes to ask people how he can pray for them. Shane said he needed patience. After dinner we walked around the French Quarter. This is a 20% enjoyable experience. I just about cry when I see the all the half-naked women. I think if I go to New Orlean's Seminary I will make an effort to reach out to those women. I wonder if they feel objectified or if they are just accustomed to it.
Despite the obvious discomforts of that visit, there was some great music to hear. My favorite being a ten person jazz band playing in the street led by a guy smoking a cigar and dancing around. I wish they did that at UK.


Now I'm in Brewton, Alabama for the last week before I start Acts 1:8 my summer program. I'm trying to do some BCM prep and catch-up with people but mostly spend as much time as possible with the fam. Holla.

Home Sweet Home

I was met at the airport by my three bffs. What a wonderful homecoming(they had a sign with an indian on it that said, "Welcome to our country"). My first two weeks in the states were crazy. I held a few meetings for BCM and met with everyone on our leadership team for next year. Every one has a great vision and I'm super pumped about what we are going to try to do. I honestly didn't have time to miss Costa Rica because I was so busy. I also made it up to Grand Rapids to visit some friends.

I also got to check out Club 3:16 which is a kids ministry for hispanic immigrants in Lexington that we started. It was really nice to speak spanish again with a couple of the moms. We do tutoring at the local library and go on saturdays for a bible club. I'm looking forward to picking that back up in the fall.

Now I am in Alabama with my family finally! I am so happy to be with them after so long. I am going on a road trip to Texas with my dad next week to visit friends, BCMs and seminaries.

I'm pretty focused on this passage currently, Colossians 1:21-23 (gospel...woop!)

BCM=Love

I'm home and every minute has been wonderful.

Holy Crap, I'm going home tomorrow.

Last night in CR. Spent the day at the beach. Slept at least two hours in a hammock.

I didn't attain any of my goals for the last two weeks and I haven't packed yet.

I can't possibly explain what I've learned since I arrived. I would love to sit down and take about 5 hours to get to that with anyone willing(Mama here I come). So I'll just settle with this...

Top 5 Best things about CR:

5-Gallo Pinto: You may think it's just beans and rice but it's more. I don't know what they do to it but I could eat it everyday for breakfast, lunch dinner. Add some pure Costa Rican coffee, huevos y tocineta and I'm in heaven.

4-Pineapples and Palm Trees: Yes, my stomach cries out in pain when I eat pineapples but I can't help but have my little serving from the fruit stand for less than 50 cents. And honestly I don't really like coconut but busting one open from the tree on the beach and drinking from it in Panama was pretty cool.

3-People who don't speak English: Making oneself speak spanish to a person that could actually understand me fully(if I just spoke english) is an impossible task. I love meeting people in town and just striking up conversation. I've found that the best way to corner them is sit in the aisle seat on the bus and turn completely toward them. This way, their only other option is jumping out the window.

2-Pura Vida and Tranquilo:These words describe what I want to be...chill, just living. This is the tico lifestyle and I love it. It was said at graduation that I am intimate friends with the Tica hora. Which means I'm always late and it's all good.

1-Presbyterians(presbos): This may seem arbitrary, and it pretty much is. The Garcia's, Abby, the Jones and Millers. These people made my life. They loved me. They taught me about grace. It was amazing.

Me voy hasta dos semanas...

I'm coming home two weeks from today. Goals before I leave:

1-Go to Nicaragua
2-Become totally fluent
3-Run for President of Costa Rica as a write-in candidate

Last week was Semana Santa which is a week here where all the Catholics do stuff every day and everyone else goes to the beach. I don't know if it's disrespectful to just say they do stuff. If you feel like it is, you can look it up on Wikipedia and be more informed and norant(opposite of ignorant?)

So I went to Panama with all my friends from school. We had a blast. This is all the girls.

Also last weekend I went to a volcano with Julia. Apparently it's the second biggest crater in the world. But that could be a lie...check Wikipedia.


Kelly: I'll be in Murray probably May 10.

Cinderella dressed in amarillo

Last week we had culture day at school. The teachers taught us to dance and play some kids games. I of course couldn't dance at all but dominated jump rope.

A couple weeks ago I met my friend Julia and some of her friends at a beach house in Guanacaste. It was a really long beach with huge waves. We had to walk a few miles from the house every day but (being three gringas) we got rides most of the time.


This beach trip felt a little different for me. We had been at this really cool coffee shop for about half an hour when I suddenly just said, "I don't like it here." In this shop, no one spoke spanish, it even said, 'open' on the door. That's not terribly uncommon at the beaches or even in the city but it began to really bother me. There was absolutely nothing tico about this place. Everyone thinks of Costa Rica just as the perfect beaches and take away the culture. Going to the beach is bittersweet.

Pura Vida: Vlog 2

Go...or stay

The man formerly known as Saul had a mission. Go from town to town and share this experience, share this life you´ve been given. Share the life-changing revelation that is Jesus Christ. In hindsight his purpose is quite clear. Go. Go to the ends of the earth. Go to your neighbor.
And yet we know that he spent a lot of time in jail. I wonder how he must have felt there. After the initial excitement and checking off my bucket-list of getting arrested...I would have felt useless. But he wrote letters. The best he could do. No matter where we are we can be used by God and learn more about Him and this life.

Inspired by words from Ju... to EJ.

La conocì en el bus

Last Wednesday I saw Slumdog Millionare (amazing) and then had to catch a bus to downtown San Jose to meet Julia for coffee. I met a girl that helped me get on the right bus and ended up talking with her a while on the bus. I ended up inviting her to coffee and she spent the evening with Julia and I. It was really cool and she and I are going to get together to practice language together. She's from Nicaragua.

This weekend I went to Playa del Coco and went scuba diving. It was really scary, especially Saturday because there was little visibility but Sunday was really cool. I saw tons of cool fish, some sting and mantarays and go stung on the face by a jellyfish. Friday night was the best though because I met a group from Denmark and played soccer with them for an hour or so. Me encanta futbol.

Here's a cool pic of an island we saw. Looks like a monkey!

Nada a una isla.

I went to Manuel Antonio this past weekend. There is a national park that has beautiful trees and cool animals. I saw some monkeys and sloths and cool flowers.
This is a picture of the beach at the end of one of the trails. *Mom Stop reading here*We tried to swim to the point around the far right of this picture but when I tried to climb up on the rocks I got sea urchins in my hand so we had to swim back. We ended up swimming for an hour straight without rest aside from floating on our backs(the water was so salty it was easy to float). I was kind of afraid we would drown or get eaten by sharks.
*Mom start reading again*
This picture is my class having a party. My teacher is the one with the headband. She cooked us some good Costa Rican stuff. I don't remember what it was but it was good. I made sweet tea, haha. I like school.
I gave a bible study in spanish a couple days ago and actually feel pretty good about it. I'm speaking in chapel in less than a month and I'm really excited to share with my peers. You can pray for me as I prepare what I am going to say. I really want the Lord to speak through me. I have been reading from Matthew and Galatians and praying a lot about it.

I want to give a shout out to The Slant. Lindsey Bell=Beyonce.

For my bird loving amiga

Upon the insistence of Kelly Doran I went ziplining this weekend in Monteverde. This is a pic of me coming in. It was absolutely fantastic. When I learned about the rainforrest as a child this is what I envisioned it to be.

There was so much wind on Friday night that I actually lost one of my flip flops and proceded to walk the mile or so back to our hostel with one bare foot.

We saw a Quetzal(This too is for KD)


Sunday I went to Jaco Beach and learned to surf. Finally! All is right in the world.

I have to present a bible study in spanish next week which will be difficult but fun too. I found that it is best for my spanish to stay in town because everyone traveling seems to know english.

Big update: I actually have friends. It's pretty exciting.

I met a leprechaun.

Pura Vida: Vlog 1

To begin with...



Another thing I haven't mentioned is the fact that there is a girl in my class named Abby who remotely resembles me and our teachers get us confused all the time. We decided to switch outfits and she busted into class late. Our teacher had a couple double takes and then started cracking up. Here's a pic:

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

Yep, it happened. Someone actually said to me, "Mi casa es su casa." I feel like I really can't top that experience.

Family Picnic

I went to a nearby park called La Paz Thursday with the EDGE team. I saw some kids jumping rope and thought it looked like a good opportunity so I walked up and just stood there. They asked me to join so I jumped for a while then they wanted to play soccer. This is my "in." I have found that in Latin America futbol is the key to the heart. We played until I couldn't anymore. I found out eventually that what I thought was some people hanging out at the park was actually a family picnic that I had just busted into. They had welcomed me gladly though, how strange and wonderful.
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I've been spending a lot of time talking with my roommate Tatiana who is from Colombia. This has been the best help for my spanish. I'm so thankful for her, she is so patient and helps me out a lot. Last night she asked me what my favorite foods are and as I listed them off she would say, "Como una buena gringa(like a good american girl)" after I said hamburgers and such. She said all gringos like brownies and I considered singing, "And I'm proud to be an American cus at least we know we love BROWNIES." I refrained, people here think I'm weird enough.
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A few days last week I ventured into a panederia(bakery) and a soda(small restaurant) to talk to people. I buy a bit of food and make small talk with the workers. The second time I went to the panederia the owner gave my friend and I a free cookie and coffee each. I also met a woman that was asking for food for she and her three children. She got a ton of bread for free from the panederia, it was cool to see how giving they were. I've forgotten the woman's name but please pray for her. I hope to see her again there and will ask her name again.
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Shout out to Brent and here's a random pic of CR...

La Gringa!

My friend Julia from SAMBICA is in CR this semester too. We met up Sunday and went to church with some friends of mine. I enjoyed the service because many of the songs were American praise songs with the words switched to spanish. It was nice to know what I was singing to the Lord. After the service there was a picnic. We shared food and the men played soccer. I desperately wanted to play but had on a dress and nice flip flops.
Julia and I decided to be bold and try to speak with some of the Ticas at the picnic, we were excited to be invited to play soccer with them. Still a bad idea but I tied a jacket around my waiste and went for it. At one point someone on the opposite team stopped the game and brought to everyone's attention the fact that all girls over the age of 10 had left my team aside from me. It was a bunch of people my age against "Los niños y la gringa" (kids and the white girl). But no one on the other team would switch to the bad team. I spent the rest of the game hearing "La gringa! A la gringa!" and trying to encourage my team of niños with the little spanish I have.

Tranquilo

In orientation we learned that ticos are generally much more laid back than americans. The word they use to describe this lifestyle is tranquilo. Almost every time I've been either late or worried about something before I can get my excuse out I hear, tranquilo. It's actually fantastic.
There has been a group of around ten here at the house with me for the past two weeks. I have enjoyed hearing their stories of eye-glasses clinics and installing water purifiers. Right now they are doing disaster relief work in the area near the recent earthquake. Until they return I will be living with one other girl named Tatiana, who only speaks spanish. I'm glad to be forced to speak in spanish.
Last Thursday I went to an impoverished neighborhood called La Carpio. It was insane. There were probably fifty kids. Honestly, I don't want to go back. The kids were so rough, it made me nervous. But the more I've thought about it the more I think that is all the more reason to go. The kids loved being played with and held.

Here are some pics from my school, ending with the view.

La Primera Aventura

I'm enjoying being a foreigner. Today two girls blatantly stared and laughed at me as I passed them. Many of the women here wear high heels and nice outfits but my lack of femininity doesn't stop the cat-calls and whistles(not a joke). I took off after school to explore my neighborhood. I found a couple of neat shop(tiendas) and met some kids that wanted to ride my skateboard. It started to rain so I headed home but ended up in a dead end with 5 dogs barking at me. I had hoped there would be no animals in Costa Rica.
There was a slight tremor today and I went to an ice cream shop(heladeria). The people at my school are from all over the states and going all over the world, it's an absolute dream. My campus is beautiful. I climbed a tree my first day and found some flowers that remind of of Nanny(my grandma). I suppose it's too early to tell how much I will learn or enjoy my time here but it seems the Lord has provided me everything I need. I am so thankful.